WILBERTS IS OUTSTANDING!
Home of The
$2 DOMESTICS-$3 BOMBS
Labatts and Labatts Lite-the BIG BOYS - 16oz-Yea just 2 bucks too!
FireBalls are just $4 & so are shots of Jameson.
Where everything is homemade Fresh and down right delicious!
1/2 Slab of Ribs with hand cut Fries and a Salad - JUST $9.99 (HH)
The BEST Homemade barbeque sauce- It's Sweet-Smokey-Spicy!!!
We pride ourselves on having the
Best Service
Best Food
at The Best Price in the neighborhood
+ Awesome Music! = Home of over 80+Grammy Winners!
So see us before during and after the tribe games.
In the Historic Caxton building just north of the stadium off Bolivar and east 9th;
WILBERTS-Bringing you over 120 years of Miller Hospitality to Cleveland!
OUTSTADNING!

is greatly appreciated. Hopefully we can hold another event there soon.

I will definitely keep in

touch with you

Conway's Irish Ale

A malty Irish Ale with a notable toasty flavor derived from lightly roasted malt. Named after Patrick Conway, the grandfather of co-owners Patrick and Daniel Conway and a Cleveland policeman who directed traffic for 25 years near the brewery. Style origin: Second to Dry Stout, this style of ale is Ireland's other most distinctive brew.

Best With: A "meat and potatoes" type of beer. Also goes well with corned beef, shepherd's pie, stews and other traditional Irish fare.

Founders

Red's Rye IPA

Rated 98=World Class!

Brewed with four varieties of Belgian caramel malts and 100% Amarillo hops.

Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Nosferatu

American Ale

ABV:8%

Nosferatu from Great Lakes Brewing Company is an Irish-Style Red Ale. Great Lakes Brewing Company has given Nosferatu the following description: "Highly hopped imperial red ale rich with flavor, yet remarkably balanced.Like vampires (most especially, the notorious German vampire from the 1920s film era), this beer has a bit of a reputation as ?the Beer with the Bite.?"

Breckenridge

Vanilla

Porter

Who would have thought deep in the jungles of Papua New Guinea and Madagascar grew the perfect ingredient to build an extraordinary Porter in Colorado? An ale that has all the chocolate and roasted nut flavor of a classic Porter, with an enigmatic surprise thrown in for good measure, real vanilla bean. Breckenridge Brewery's Vanilla Porter. A vanilla kiss in a rich, dark sea.

Dogfish Head Brewery

60 Minute IPA

is continuously hopped -- more than 60 hop additions over a 60-minute boil. (Getting a vibe of where the name came from?)
60 Minute is brewed with a slew of great Northwest hops. A powerful but balanced East Coast IPA with a lot of citrusy hop character, it's the session beer for hardcore enthusiasts!

Left Hand

Milk Stout

Milk sugar in your stout is like cream in your coffee. Dark and delicious, America's great milk stout will change your perception about what a stout can be. “Preconceived notions are the blinders on the road to enlightenment.” Udderly delightful.

Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider

This crisp and refreshing cider mixes the sweetness of the apples with a subtle dryness for a balanced cider taste. The fresh apple aroma and slightly sweet, ripe apple flavor make this cider hard to resist.

Fat Heads Bumble Berry Honey Blueberry Ale

"MOST REFRESHING BEER IN AMERICA"

BREWING NEWS GLOBAL WARMING OPEN

Brewed with fresh harvested spring honey stolen from some very angry bees (we have the welts to prove it) and infused with fresh blueberries. Creating a light, refreshing ale with a nice blueberry aroma, crackery malt flavors, a hint of sweetness and a refreshing blueberry finish. Get yo buzz on!

Labatt Prohibition Series Bourbon Barrel Ale

Introducing flavor that's too big to ban. Our new Prohibition Series is a nod to Labatt's role in keeping the beer flowing during America's “dry spell”. The two distinctively bold flavors, Bourbon Barrel Ale and Apple Harvest Ale, transport drinkers back to that exciting era of smugglers and speakeasies.

21st Amendment Black IPA

Back in Black is our newest year-round beer available now in six pack cans and on draft. Brewed like an American IPA but with the addition of rich, dark malts, this beer has all the flavor and hop character you expect with a smooth, mellow finish.

Jackie O

Chomolunga

honey nut brown ale

Chomolunga is Jackie O's honey nut brown ale, something akin to Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale. It smells just as you would imagine – sweet and nutty – and tastes much the same. The mouthfeel is creamy and slightly warming, and it's very easy to drink. This beer is much more interesting and tasty than Firefly Amber, and for that reason it's my go-to when I want something I can down a pitcher of.

Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Bold and rich, with a touch of holiday spice. The first thing one notices about a Samuel Adams® Winter Lager is the deep ruby color. Then comes the magical aroma which promises something special on the tongue. The cinnamon, ginger, and hint of citrus from the orange peel blend with the roasty sweetness of the malts to deliver a warming, spicy flavor. On the palate Samuel Adams Winter Lager is rich and full bodied, robust and warming, a wonderful way to enjoy the cold evenings that come with the season.

Bell's Oberon Ale

Bell's Oberon is a wheat ale fermented with Bell's signature house ale yeast, mixing a spicy hop character with mildly fruity aromas. The addition of wheat malt lends a smooth mouthfeel, making it a classic summer beer.

Named the capital region's "Best Female Singer-Songwriter" by Metroland.

“The wisdom of an old soul in the body of a young, yearning individual.” Whether it's her dynamic and passionate performances, or her poignant and honest songwriting, this sentiment has been expressed throughout Roohan's nascent career. With a style that shifts seamlessly from sunny indie pop to heartfelt Americana and a stage presence that's full of dynamic soul, she's an entrancing presence who is making waves.

MaryLeigh was nurtured as a writer and performer at the celebrated Caffe Lena before shipping off to play pubs in Scotland for a year. There, she honed her guitar and vocal skills, and built confidence in exploring other musical ventures. Since graduating from her Scottish residency and moving back to the states, she has played everywhere from intimate cafes to wild festivals. The diverse stages she's played match the variety of acts with whom she's shared them. Jill Sobule, Sean Rowe, Theresa Andersson, Paranoid Social Club and Milo Greene are a few of the many.

In 2011, Roohan ventured to The Music Shed in New Orleans to record her debut album, The Docks. The album received wide acclaim in New York's capital region. Beyond securing rotation on both college and public radio stations (WEXT, WEQX, WSPN), The Docks' single “Foolish Girl” was named second to Sean Rowe's “Downwind” in 97.7 WEXT's Top 60 Songs of New York's Capital Region (2012). Buzz from the album generated performing opportunities including Roohan's performances at Albany's largest music festival, LarkFest, and with talented bands such as Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds, Chic Gamine, and many more. The Docks and her many heartfelt performances reached wide audiences and in 2012 Roohan was named the capital region's "Best Female Singer-Songwriter" by Metroland.

Taking time to graduate from college, Roohan was laying low in 2013 except for her secret adventures to record a new album with Jason Brown at JBrown Noise. The time in the studio yielded a ten-song album that she released nationally in January 2014. Met with glowing reviews in her hometown, Roohan has widened her sights. This year, her new record and persistent wanderlust has brought her into the hearts of people all over the country. Skin & Bone has attracted new fans and opportunities including the chance to create original music for a soon-to-be-released documentary about women of 1969. Catch her in concert by checking her forever-changing tour schedule.

is a singer-songwriter from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was voted Best Solo Artist in the 2011 Milwaukee Music Awards, and Best Pop Artist in the 2011 Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) Awards.

The founder and former front man of the eclectic funk-rock outfit, The Green Scene (called "America's Best Unsigned Band" in Jim Beam's 2001 National Rock Band Search), Ethan has always been known for originality, diversity, and depth. Musically and professionally, Keller wears many hats. He has been performing and promoting since 1993, has made appearances at prestigious venues and music festivals in over 30 states, and has sold over 10,000 records.

Ethan's 2010 EP entitled Profit, was co-produced by Grammy-winning engineer Ted Greenberg ("Standing in the Shadows of Motown"), and has aired on over 250 radio stations nationwide. Keller's most recent full-length album, entitled Goin Down in History, Goin Down in Flames, was released in 2013 on Driftless Records. Ethan's music is currently in rotation at WYMS 88.9 Radio Milwaukee.

Like a Rum Soaked Cool Breeze Off An Island Shore, Joe Moorhead, offers a musical escape from the daily grind.

“Life Is A Beach” for the band Joe Moorhead. Born in the most unlikely of places, the gritty urban jungle of Cleveland, Ohio, the band took their laid back attitude and tropical party mentality on the road playing college campuses, music festivals and venues throughout the Americas. Gathering up fans and building momentum along the way like a whipping island breeze about to transform into a tropical storm. An ever growing fan base of loyal fans already know the magic in the music of Joe Moorhead. And so should you.

Like Jack Johnson, Sublime and the Dave Mathews Band before them, Joe Moorhead creates a laid back groove with insightful lyrics about love and life from a wholly original sound that provides an escape from today's tough times. Not taking themselves too seriously (No Sting like attitude here) the band's shows are fun and original celebrations designed around escaping from the pains and horrors of the real world.

Ready for a musical trip? An around the world escape that is sure to free your mind and move your body? Then you're ready for Joe Moorhead.

Joel Michael Howard has made several records with a multitude of groups. After years of touring, Howard decided to record his first solo album. He returned home to New York City and gathered a group of musicians to back him in the studio. After a one-night rehearsal, the band orchestrated 10 love songs. These songs became his debut record, Love as First Response.

A great show, classic rock in the vein of Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac.

Now, if Tom Waits was locked in a room for a month with nothing but a copy of Springsteenâ€™s Nebraska, I imagine he might come up with something that sounds like the next act of the night, Radiator King. Adam Silvestri, the sole member of the Boston-based project, writes songs that are the sonic equivalent to an old whiskey bar at the end of a dirt road. While his Waits-ian vocal affectation at times seemed to border on derivative, the songs themselves maintained an air of authenticity that had me willfully suspending any doubts. After a few numbers, Silvestri put down the acoustic and opted for a hollowbody electric, while Ian Macleod of Fax Holiday got behind a drum kit that utilized an oversized, vintage suitcase as a kick drum (to great effect, I might add). I found myself immediately preferring the more fully realized aesthetic. Silvestriâ€™s songs flourished with the addition of a gritty guitar and the tasteful drumming provided by Macleod. In this context, the rust covered vocals seemed to have found a more suitable home. - See more at: http://allstonpudding.com/pile-fax-holiday-radiator-king-yazan-obriens-pub-92314/#sthash.YXsS8mZ9.dpuf

winner of the 2014 Blues Music Awards for Acoustic Artist Of The Year +

Acoustic Album Of The Year (There's A Time)

the 2013 Blues Blast Music Award for Male Artist Of The Year

and perennial Blues Music Award nominee, is a singer-songwriter in the American tradition. He is a traveling artist that writes and sings original songs that are based on his own life and experiences. He learned from the old masters, lived the music, survived the life and carries forward a valuable tradition. MacLeod is known for his superb songwriting, guitar wizardry, warm soulful vocals, wit and unforgettable live performances. At the heart of this is his knack for storytelling, bringing characters-from the faceless to the legendary-to strikingly real life.

As a youth he overcame abuse and a crippling stutter by turning to music. After he picked up a guitar, and tried to sing - he found his voice.

While he developed his rich, soulful singing style MacLeod also worked out a unique, unorthodox and powerfully rhythmic acoustic guitar style. The rage of his turbulent youth was eventually channeled through his guitar, using his relentless right hand to pound out an insistent, churning beat to complement his intricate bottleneck and finger-style technique. MacLeod's playing landed him sideman gigs with George 'Harmonica' Smith, Big Joe Turner, Pee Wee Crayton, Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson, Lowell Fulson and Big Mama Thornton. Under their tutelage, he learned how to thrill and enrapture a crowd.

Over 29 years, 19 studio albums, several live records, compilations, a blues guitar instructional DVD and a live performance DVD, MacLeod has consistently earned raves. His songs have been covered by many artists including Albert King, Albert Collins, Joe Louis Walker and Eva Cassidy. He has co-written songs with Dave Alvin and Coco Montoya.

MacLeod's songs have been featured in many TV movies and the hit show In the Heat of the Night. Two of his songs are on Grammy nominated albums by Albert King and Albert Collins.

From 1999 to 2004 he hosted Nothin' But The Blues, a very popular weekend blues show on Los Angeles' KLON-KKJZ. He has also been the voice for The Blues Showcase on Continental Airlines and contributed his soulful slide guitar playing to the Los Angeles opening of the August Wilson play "Gem of the Ocean". For ten years he penned "Doug's Back Porch," a regular feature column in Blues Revue Magazine in which he shared his humorous and insightful stories with thousands of readers. He won the Golden Note Award in 1997 for his AudioQuest album "You Can't Take My Blues". In 2006 Solid Air/Warner Bros. released Doug's guitar instructional DVD "101* Blues Guitar Essentials".

MacLeod signed with Reference Recordings in 2012. His new album “Exactly Like This“ will be released on March 10, 2015. In every note he performs and records, MacLeod subscribes to the rule-of-thumb learned from country bluesman Ernest Banks from Toano VA. who instilled in him to "Never play a note you don't believe", and "Never write or sing about what you don't know about."

Like the old masters who taught him, MacLeod's music expresses life and times via an intangible, elusive quality that may simply be a keen sense of what matters most. There is a philosophic and healing side to MacLeod's music and his stories that has helped others overcome the hardships of their lives.

As Pee Wee Crayton's widow Esther once told Doug, "You have a message and you'll send that message mainly to the people who don't go to church." Amen.

Described as “one of the best acoustic pickers on the scene today,” Cary Morin brings together the great musical traditions of America and beyond like no other. With deft fingerstyle guitar and vocals that alternately convey melodic elation and gritty world-­weariness, Morin crafts an inimitable style often characterized as acoustic Native Americana with qualities of blues, bluegrass, jazz, jam, reggae, and dance.

"A man and a guitar, a lot of soul, and an understanding of the history of soulful men with guitars in American music can sometimes achieve this kind of timelessness in their work…,” comments Richard Higgs (Public Radio Tulsa). “Cary Morin has the chops and is one of the best acoustic pickers on the scene today. [His] performances… would stand out, variously, among the old-­school delta blues pliers, the Greenwich Village folk crowd at the end of the 1950s, the back-­to-­nature bards of the late 60s, or today0 thriving singer/songwriter scene. Morin references all these styles; they're in his vocabulary, but he no dilettante. His engaging sound is his alone...." Morin’s third solo release, Tiny Town, follows close on the heels of an international tour that spanned the U.S. and reached as far as France and Denmark.

Crow tribal member and son of an air force officer, Morin was born in Billings, Montana. He spent the bulk of his youth in Great Falls, where he cut his teeth picking guitar standards at neighborhood get-togethers, before relocating to Northern Colorado. There, his musical career hit the ground running with The Atoll, a band he founded in 1989 and that toured nationally, gaining a devoted following. Later, he achieved international acclaim with The Pura Fé Trio, for whom the single “Ole Midlife Crisis,” which Morin wrote and performed with Pura Fé, placed at number 17 on France’s iTunes blues chart. With The Atoll and The Pura Fé Trio, and as a solo artist, Morin has played celebrated venues across the globe, including Paris Jazz Festival, Winter Park Jazz Festival, Folk Alliance International, River People Festival, Shakori Hill Festival, the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and most recently Rochefort En Accords festival in France and The Copenhagen Blues Festival.

Morin’s stage credits also include Tribe at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix, and co-authorship of Turtle Island, a 50-member production that played two consecutive years to sold-out audiences in Northern Colorado. With the Red Willow Dancers, he was a guest of the internationally renowned Kodo Drummers, performing at their 1998 Spring Festival and additional dates in Japan. He has produced or performed on over 15 recordings, and has toured across the US, as well as Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, and the UK. Morin’s performances have reached millions on national TV in Japan, France, and the UK, as well as on national radio in the US (NPR’s Beale Street Caravan), UK (BBC’s Whose London), France (RFI), Switzerland, and Belgium. For two consecutive years (2013 and 2014), Cary won the Colorado Blues Challenge Solo Championship. He was also nominated for Aboriginal Entertainer of the Year and Best Blues CD in the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards. In 2013, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Fort Collins Music Association (FoCoMA) and won the Colorado Fan Favorite Poll in the blues category for his second solo release, Streamline. In addition to his solo pursuits, Cary Morin performs with Young Ancients, a collaboration with John Magnie and Steve Amedée of The Subdudes.

For more information, visit CaryMorin.com, and follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Friday April 24

"If I were to make a list of the 20 most important singer/songwriters of our time, Konrad Wert/Possessed by Paul James, would undoubtedly be among those at the very top." - No Depression

Possessed by Paul James is originally from Florida, and was born into a Mennonite family. He gives credit to his parents for instilling the value of service to others that is evidenced in his teaching of students with special needs and when Konrad Wert morphs into the performer Possessed by Paul James, the medium may change, but the desire to make a difference in people's lives doesn't. When Possessed by Paul James performs, his passion equals the passion he brings to his class Monday through Friday, with many witnesses to the Possessed By Paul James show referring to it as more of a life-altering experience than a simple one man music show

Tony Ramey fans have always enjoyed eclectic elements in his music and songs, but his latest effort (slated to be released this summer) shows him evolving into an artist who defies classification. While he is composing songs that still explore country and country and western motifs (as in his Willie Nelson duet “The Bible, the Bottle, and the Gun”), soul, blues, and contemporary folk elements have begun to eclipse a style of music that most critics have labeled “traditional” (or “Throwback,” as Tony called his latest acoustic album) country.

His relocation out of Nashville finds Tony drawing from his earliest influences far more obviously than he has in past albums, which were (with the exception of Places and Throwback) more snapshots of where he was as a songwriter, rather than an accurate record of his artistic journey. His early memories of music that “struck a chord,” as Tony says, recall Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Bill Withers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jackson Brown, Ray Price, Charlie Rich, Aretha Franklin, along with a hodge podge of mainstream country artists who put forth elements of folk and blues in their songs as well: “Everybody thinks of Haggard as a country artist, and I can't disagree with that, but there's nothin' swampier or more R&B than the horn section on Haggard's ‘Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink.'” Tony's newest compositions reflect his principal belief about ‘American Music:' It isn't confined to a certain production, theme, type of voice, etc.; rather, it is an organic, constantly morphing phenomenon that resists mass market, trendy merchandising, and influence from corporations always vying for shelf space at a local retailer or “sounds like” lists of artists on a digital download store.

Tony's live performances have taken him from the Texas and Midwest Honky Tonks where people are two-stepping and raising their bottles, to where he says he is starting to feel even more at home–in the two-hundred-and-fifty to one-thousand seat theaters, where people come to listen to a storyteller at work. Audiences in the theaters at Tony's performances are compelled to listen–to go down the same road together, on the same journey, wherever the song takes them. That journey ends up above the production and sonic value of a pounding track: “I want people to dance and have a good time, but there's a romantic part of me that wants to believe it's all derived from an honesty and passion in music that has substance and meaning, not just a loop or hip-hop beat and words that rhyme.'”

With gold and platinum records on artists like Trisha Yearwood, John Michael Montgomery, George Strait, and a host of others who have covered Tony's material, and with BMI awards and more than fifteen years of professional writing behind him, Tony has proven himself as a songwriter, but the best is yet to come for those watching and listening to Tony as he is proving himself as an artist…It will be a journey worth taking–wherever he goes.

In 2010, Toronto-based blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Chris Antonik arrived onto the National and International blues scene with his self-titled debut album which received widespread critical acclaim, placed in the Roots Music Report Top 100 charts for over a year, and garnered Antonik a nomination for Best New Artist of the Year at Canada's national Maple Blues Awards.

In 2010, in its year-end review, British Columbia's Blues Underground Network deemed Chris ‘The Future of the Blues.' After extensive touring and major blues festival appearances in Canada in 2011 and 2012, Chris returned with his highly anticipated and critically-acclaimed follow-up Better For You in March 2013.

With Antonik on the majority of lead vocals, guest vocalists on Better For You include: two-time Grammy award-winner Mike Mattison (The Derek Trucks Band, The Tedeschi-Trucks Band) and American Blues Music award-nominee Shakura S'Aida. Other guest artists include blues Juno-winners Steve Marriner (MonkeyJunk) and Julian Fauth, as well as Canadian music veterans Suzie Vinnick and Richard Underhill.

Since its release, Better For You has solidified Chris' reputation as one of Canada's hottest young blues artists: the album spent three weeks at #1 on DAWG 101.9 FM's weekly album chart (Canada's only all blues-rock FM station), has continued charting on the Roots Music Report, and has attained significant airplay in Canada, the US and Europe, including regular play on Sirius XM (B.B. King's Bluesville), the BBC, Jazz FM, CBC, Galaxie, and more.

Critics and blues music industry experts in North America and Europe agree that Better For You was one of the best releases of 2013. Here is what some had to say:

“One of the finest releases from the Great White North in many a year.......a living and breathing masterpiece. Antonik is a blues star rising.”- Cascade Blues Association, Oregon

"The best Canadian blues-rock album of 2013....outstandingly good.....the best sophomore release I have listened to in recent memory." - Blues Underground Network

“A salient reference point is Eric Clapton, especially in Antonik's warm, thick guitar sound, which often sounds in both tone and note selection like mid-to-late 1980s Clapton, around the time of Journeyman.“ - Blues Blast Magazine

“'Better For You' is the sound of someone taking the blues to a new place......[the song] ‘Nothing I Can Do' features a truly spectacular guitar solo that has shades of Buddy Guy and Hendrix" - American Blues Scene

“A superb album....[Turn To Shine] features a superb guitar solo that could easily have been Derek Trucks.” - Blues in Britain

To live up to these accolades on stage, Chris delivers an unbridled and passionate live performance that gives audiences more than their money's worth and leaves them wanting more. An exceptional guitarist who has been compared to Clapton, a soulful singer and an inventive songwriter, Chris is the real deal.

Friday July 31

Texas Roots Blues Aficionado

Delbert McClinton“I’m an acquired taste in that my kind of music’s not for little kids,” Texas singersongwriter Delbert McClinton says. “It’s adult rock ‘n’ roll. I write from the sensibility of the people I knew growing up, and I grew up with all the heathens, the people who went too far before they changed and tried to make something out of their lives. There are a lot of beautiful colors and sad stories and much-deserved joy in that.”

All those colors and stories, and all that joy, are richly present in McClinton’s
New West album Acquired Taste. The collection is the musician’s fourth studio set for
the label, and it succeeds his Grammy Award-winning Cost of Living (2005), which was
named best contemporary blues recording by the Recording Academy.
The album reunites McClinton with the producer who helmed his very first
Grammy winner, Don Was. The multi-talented bandleader, bassist, and studio wizard
recorded “Good Man, Good Woman,” a collaboration with Bonnie Raitt that captured the
best rock performance by a duo or group Grammy for 1991. Was came to the current
project on the recommendation of New West president Cameron Strang, who had
employed the producer on Kris Kristofferson’s widely praised 2006 album for the label, This Old Road.
“Don and I had kind of a cosmic connection, because of Bonnie,” McClinton
says. “Then he and I got together and recorded a few things that were very, very good.
I’ve been ricocheting off of him for about 17 years now.”Was says, “Delbert’s an erudite, urbane sophisticate, wrapped up as a roadhousesinger. There’s nothing contradictory in his character -- he’s a real Texan. Neither theintellectual nor the roadhouse singer is a put-on. They come in equal parts. He’s one of akind, he’samazing. He defies the categories and slips right through.”Working with Was took McClinton in a welcome new direction.“It was a good thing, because it kind of got me off my ass,” he says. “Since wedid Cost of Living, I’d been writing, but I couldn’t get motivated to go into the studio.During those three years, I was trying to reinvent myself a bit, and even the thought of itwas very daunting. At the same time, I knew I had bits and pieces of songs I had startedthat were, to me, very much unlike most of the songs I write. They were kind of outside the box.” McClinton wrote or co-authored the 14 songs on Acquired Taste; his co-writers
included his longtime musical collaborator and producer Gary Nicholson, his keyboardist
Kevin McKendree and guitarist Rob McNelley, Texas songsmith Guy Clark, Nashville ace and ex-NRBQ axe man Al Anderson, and Benmont Tench of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers. The album was tracked at East Isis Studios in Nashville and Henson Studios in Hollywood by McClinton and his working band – McKendree, McNelley, drummer Lynn Williams, and bassist Steve Mackey. Kicking off with “Mama’s Little Baby,” a grown-up rewrite of “Short’nin’ Bread,” Acquired Taste ranges through a breadth of styles. While longtime McClinton
fans will bask in the gutsy blues of “I Need to Know” and the churning funk of “Do It,” other songs drive onto some freshly-paved stylistic roads – the jazzy, hard-swinging “People Just Love to Talk,” the melancholy tango “She’s Not There Anymore,” the popharmonized “When She Cries at Night.” The album’s balladry – “Starting a Rumor,” “Never Saw It Coming,” “Wouldn’t You Think (Should’ve Been Here By Now),” “Out
of My Mind” – finds McClinton at his most profoundly affecting, while “Willie” and “Cherry Street” show that his sense of humor remains firmly in place. The record’s freewheeling diversity – and McClinton’s career-long defiance of easy categorization – is unsurprising, given his Texas origins. “I saw a chart once in the book Folk Songs of North America,” McClinton recalls. “You open it up, and there’s a map of the United States, with musical influences in color, showing where they came into this country and where they migrated. More colors come through Texas than anywhere – they come from everywhere. All these different cultural
musics come together in Texas.” Born in Lubbock (hometown of such other musical notables as Buddy Holly and Joe Ely), McClinton came of age in the Fort Worth joints. He first appeared on a hitrecord in 1962, when his distinctive harmonica playing graced Bruce Channel’s No. 1 single “Hey Baby” (which inspired the harp work of a young John Lennon). He backed such blues legends as Jimmy Reed and Sonny Boy Williamson, and honed his chops in local acts like the Ron-Dels, the Straightjackets, and Bobby Crown and the Kapers. In the early ‘70s, McClinton and keyboardist-vocalist Glen Clark relocated to Los Angeles,
where they cut a pair of prophetic roots-rock albums as Delbert & Glen.
Beginning in 1975, McClinton recorded a series of brawny LPs for ABC,
Capricorn, and Capitol that seamlessly melded blues, R&B, and country into a uniquely
soulful blend. At the latter label in 1980, McClinton scored the top 10 hit “Giving It Up
For Your Love,” which pushed the accompanying album The Jealous Kind into the
national top 40. After spending the late ‘80s and ‘90s cutting consistently powerful albums for
Alligator, Curb, Mercury, and MCA, McClinton arrived at New West in 2001 with the
wildly received Nothing Personal, which won him his first solo Grammy, for best
contemporary blues album. Room to Breathe followed in 2002. His high-temperature
show was captured on the two-CD set Live (2003). (His 1982 appearance on the popular
PBS series Austin City Limits is available as part of New West’s Live From Austin TX
series.) Producer and artist both place Acquired Taste among McClinton’s best and most
ambitious work. Was says, “What I like about this album is that it’s a musical journey. It’s got a
really broad spectrum stylistically, and yet his sensibility and persona are so strong that
it’s totally unified when you put him on top of it.” “This one definitely does stand apart, without a doubt,” says McClinton. “There were an awful lot of people wanting to make this really good.
“When we went in to do it, everybody was tense but ready. Don has that bedside
manner to make everybody think they’re the most important one around. We were talking
during a break in the session, and my guitar player said, ‘Man, he just makes you really
do good shit!’ And I said, ‘Yeah, well, he’s kinda known for being able to do that without
letting you know he’s doing it.’ Don’s a magic guy, and I love him more than anything. I
couldn’t be happier with this.”

FYI-All shows are all ages and the kitchen is open until I go home!

→and remember To be nice & Have A Nice Time!

WILBERT'S is Great Music + Delicious food In An Intimate Setting = What a Concept!